Fraiche...01/05/09

Location: Culver City, CA
Food: 3.75/5
Drink: n/a (had iced tea and water)
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: Casual Elegant (if there was such a thing)
Price: $$
Overall: 3.63/5 (lol)

I've passed by Fraiche so many times on my way to Ford's Filling Station. I haven't had the inkling to wander in until last night when my Mom wanted to try someplace new. At first glance, the place is really nice - it's big and open. As soon as you enter, the bar area is to your left and the dining area is to your right.

We were seated at a table along the wall and my eye immediately went to their specials board which included 3 different types of oysters - Kumamoto, Malpeque and Gold Creek. I love oysters and I knew I had to order at the very least a half dozen. Since I really can't tell the difference between them, we got the sampler which consisted of 2 of each oysters.

The server told us the names of each oysters as soon as the tray was set down. It came with three different condiments - wasabi, vinegar and cocktail sauce. Yummy, yummy oysters. They're unlike the humongous ones from the Philippines but they're definitely yummy. My mom and I enjoyed every bite. Unfortunately, a half dozen was not enough to quell our appetite so we ordered another half dozen. This time, I picked Malpeque which I thought were the medium-sized ones but apparently we were misinformed. We enjoyed them, nonetheless.

For our entress, my Mom really wanted fish and the server suggested the Monkfish which my mom happily ordered. I went with the Lamb Spezzatino with Gnocchi and Gremolata since it's been a while since I've had Gnocchi.

The monkfish was good. The mashed potatoes were really creamy and the fish was well-seasoned. I was happy with mine as well, although I think it was a little bland. The lamb was perfectly moist and the gnocchi were pillowy puffs of goodness but the dish definitely lacked some depth.

We ended the meal with Banana Crepes and coffee. The coffee was good (although it came late). The crepes weren't anything special. The honey ice cream on that dish was probably the highlight. Overall, it was a bad experience. Our server was definitely attentive when we first got there but as soon as her section started filling up, we kinda lost her. Fraiche is good for a first date when you're not trying to impress someone with the food, it's not that expensive and it's not loud so you can actually have a conversation. It's also a great place to meet up with a friend for a chat so the attention is not on the food. I might come back...we'll see.